Matching Forces
by Ardin
Summary: When the Doctor and Rose find themselves in serious trouble in the United States, the Doctor turns to some old friends for help. Crossover with the Twilight Saga, though reading those isn't necessary.
1. Chapter 1

**Matching Forces** By Ardin

**Disclaimer:** Doctor Who belongs to the BBC and the Twilight saga belongs to Stephanie Meyer and her publishers.

**Spoilers: **All Nu-Who episodes from series 1-2 are fair game. Serious story spoilers for the Twilight series, but you don't have to have read them to get the story.

* * *

"So where are we headed this time?" Rose asked, yelling across the counsel room to be heard over the sound of the TARDIS engines.

"Well, I thought that it was about time to do a bit of exploring of your Earth." The Doctor shouted back, glancing up only momentarily from the main view screen. "I mean really, Rose, you're 20 years old and you've never been outside of the UK. At least not in your time period. It's about time that we fixed that, yeah?"

Rose barely had time to give a brief nod of agreement before the deck plating below her feet shook hard at their landing. She managed to stay standing only by virtue of clinging tightly to the pillar beside her. The Doctor, on the other hand, had landed on his backside with a rather unceremonious thump. A large grin broke across his features as he hauled himself back to his feet.

"Here we are then. Earth, 2006." He beamed at her brightly as he moved across the room, sweeping up his coat and putting it on as he stepped to the doors.

Rose was slightly more hesitant. "Yeah, Earth, great, but where exactly. It is kind of a big planet you know."

"Not really. Loads of planets bigger than Earth. Reezany IV, for instance, is 15 times the size of your little blue-green planetoid. The twin planets of the Arabeth system are even bigger, though I'm not sure how much you can count those since they were artificially made. I had a hand in that you know, their gravity wells never would've held up if I hadn't…" He'd been staring at the ceiling during the ccourse of his recitation, but a glance at Rose and her rather annoyed expression brought him back to the original question. "I'm not exactly sure where we are. Wanted it to be an adventure didn't I? So I told the old girl to get the year right and land us on, well, land and left the rest up to her."

"So you don't know where we are?" She looked overjoyed at finally catching him admitting that he didn't know something. He scowled at her triumphant grin.

"I could if I wanted to." His voice was petulant as he responded. "All I'd have to do is take a look at that screen there and I'd know exactly where we are, but, come on Rose, where's the fun in that?" He moved once more towards the door. "Much better to just take a look outside and-"

The Doctor's words were drowned out by a loud alarm that filled the room, eminating from no particular spot and echoing off every surface.

"What is that?" Rose had to shout to be heard, her hands rasied protectively against her ears to hold out the horrible racket.

The Doctor seeemed to be almost instantly at the TARDIS counsel screen, reading data as it streamed quickly past. With a rapidly tapped out command the alarm bell cut out as suddenly as it had begun.

"We've been followed out of the vortex by a Cravor hunting party." His voice was a mixture of shock and concern as he continued to read off of the screen.

"A what?" Rose had rarely seen such worry in his eyes before and couldn't help the tinge of panic that sounded in her voice in response.

"Cravor. They're a race of hunters. From the moment they're born they are taught that nothing is more glorius than a sporting victory over a foe. Hunting those with technology better than theirs is the ultimate game for them. They must have spotted the TARDIS in the vortex and given chase." He ran his hands distractedly through his hair and his mind tried to work through the situation they had found themselves in. _Why can't we ever go somewhere for fun? _His subconscious wondered momentariily.

"Can we fight them? I mean we do have the TARDIS and you are a Time Lord." Rose was beginning to calm slightly as she got a better grasp on what was happening. The unknown was always so much more frightening than known and exxplained. Panicing would not help she reminded herself before focusing in on the Doctor's next words.

"Not likely. Average hunting party is about 40 strong. Even if they're a young and inexperienced group the TARDIS doesn't have the sort of systems necessary to handle that many." He turned away from he screen finally to look at her properly. "very hard to kill, Cravor are. At least by human standards. Almost nothing can pierce their skins and they're quite fast, though not over any sort of long distance – only short sprints and what not."

"So we run." Rose's tone was matter-of-fact, speaking as though she were saying something he should already have thought of. "Surely the TARDIS, which can travel through time, can lose them in the vortex somehow." There was a brief brightening of the interior lights as the TARDIS gave a quick thanks to Rose for her confidence in the machine, though the Doctor's next words instantly squelched any hope the young woman had felt from the blue box's response.

"We can't risk it. Yes, we'd probably be able to get away from them, but they may decide that, rather than waste the trip, they should practice their skills on Earth's population. And short of a nuclear bomb, there isn't much that any human could do to stop them." His expression was serious, worry creasing his brow even his brow even as his brain continued to work to find a solution.

Rose was finding it hard to fight back the hopelessness that threatened to engulf her, and her words were only silghtly more than a whisper. "So what are we going to do?"

The Doctor met Rose's gaze for a few silent, tense moments before his eyes suddenly lit up and he turned back to the screen. "Well, there may actually be a way. There's not much a human could do against a Cravor, but…" He read information from the screen for a moment in a low mutter that Rose couldn't quite hear before turning his attention back to her. "We've landed in North America, a couple of hundred miles below the US-Canadian border, just outside of the small town of Forks. The Cravorian ship is almost 100 miles East and they'll continue on foot from there. Should take them at least two days to reach the TARDIS." His words came ever more rapidly as he moved to the jump seat, grabbed her jacket and tossed it to her. "We'll have to go by foot as well, the TARDIS is too easy for them to track."

"To do what?"

"We're going to go see some old friends of mine. I just hope they haven't moved." He walked to the door, Rose just behind him, and they stepped out into a dense green forest. "We're not far from their home, shouldn't take us too long to reach them." He started off into the trees at a mild jog, apparently following some kind of path, though Rose could see none. One last sentence reached her ears before he sped up and made it impossible to concentrate on anything other than her footing.

"The Doctor is making a house call on the Cullens."

* * *

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

They had been running through the forest for only a few minutes when the Doctor slowed to a moderate walk, pausing altogether for the second or two it took Rose to catch up. Stuffing his hands deep into his pockets, he glanced curiously around him, seemingly taking in the sight of the dense green trees, as he spoke once again.

"We'll need to move more slowly now that we're so close. It wouldn't do for us to have come all this way only to be killed for wandering in unannounced. Hardly the meeting I have planned." As he spoke Rose was only barely listened, her mind occupied by some of his earlier statements. When one of his comments onboard the TARDIS finally fully registered she gasped quietly and waited for him to pause long enough for her to get a word in. "They should be able to hear us coming from a good distance and since they don't hunt this close to town, we should be safe."

"Doctor? Back on the TARDIS you said that a human wouldn't be much good against one of these Cravor things, but one of the people we're going to see is, right? So does that make them alien then?" She had never before thought to ask him if there were aliens living peacefully and secretly on Earth. The idea had never really occurred to her and even now, as she realized it was a good possibility, it still seemed a bit too Hollywood to be possible.

He glanced sideways at her as they continued to walk, his pace continuing to slow gradually as they moved further and further from the TARDIS. The smile on his face was the one that told her he was happy that she had been paying attention and had managed to work out a larger meaning to his words.

"Well…they're not alien in the way you're thinking, no. Not extraterrestrials from outer space that is. But they aren't exactly human either."

"I'm not going to meet more talking trees, am I?" She asked with a chuckle as she recalled their first space adventure together.

"No." His smile widened in response even as he shook his head briefly. "No, these people used to be human, but have been mutated by an exceedingly toxic and highly specific pathogen."

"You mean like a disease?" Rose's face twisted with concern as she remembered the cat-bred clones on New Earth.

"Sort of, except this isn't like the diseases you're used to which are generally cure or be killed by. The pathogen travels through the body and mutates every cell in the system, but very much leaves its sufferer alive at the end; some might even say better at the end, but…" His voice trailed off as he seemed to be mentally weighing the pros and cons of each side of an argument only he was aware of. "For the most part there is very little outward difference in appearance other than any other human – except for a shift in coloring – and despite major increases in strength and the reach of their senses, the family you will meet are very much like everyone else in terms of emotions and lifestyle." He took her hand and pulled her gently against his side, silently urging her to look him in the eye for his next words. "They won't hurt you in anyway, okay?"

Rose nodded and gave him a small smile, but her mind whirled at the unintended meaning of his words. Normally he saw no reason to promise her that they wouldn't be in danger. He knew that she trusted him to keep her safe and that even if he couldn't it wouldn't stop her from following him. So what his words really meant was that, despite everything he'd already said, he expected her to be afraid of the people they were going to meet. That and the remembrance that they had slowed so as not to be killed sent a shiver of fear down her spine. The Doctor continued speaking as though he had not noticed her sudden apprehension, but gave her hand a tender squeeze all the same.

"Most of their kind live in a state of nomadic isolation, wandering the world alone or in pairs. There are a couple of exceptions, but they are exceptional in more ways then just their lifestyle. Secrecy is paramount to them and yet the rest of humanity is still aware of their existence, though most put it down to folklore or fairytales."

She glanced at him surprised. "The Cullens? Isn't that what you called them? I've never heard of such a creature."

"Cullen is a family name." He gave her hand another squeeze as a final steep took them suddenly into a large clearing. Rose was certain that, had there not been a much more interesting sight available in the open space, she would have been stunned breathless by the beautiful white house at its center. Instead her eyes were drawn to the people standing a few meters in front of them; the nine most beautiful people she'd ever seen. So engrossed was she with watching them, standing still as statues, that it took her a few moments to register the Doctor's next words.

"The term you would recognize their species by is vampire."

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Vam…Vampires?" Rose stuttered out the word in a whispered tone as the unfamiliar feeling of panic took hold of her body. She closed her eyes and breathed deep for a few moments, taking comfort from the Doctor's earlier assurances and the feeling of him standing beside her. When she was certain that the panic had mostly subsided she opened her eyes and tried again. "Vampires?" Her voice still shook slightly, but her volume was much more natural.

"Yes." The one word came out sounding like the purest of musical notes and its speaker, the oldest of the group standing in the clearing (though Rose was certain he could only be a few years older than herself), stepped forward gracefully. "However, we aren't what the stories claim. I assure you that we neither sleep in coffins nor have any intention of sucking your blood." He stopped walking, though Rose thought that gliding might be a more accurate description, with several feet of space still between them and held out his hand to her. "I am Carlisle Cullen. And it is very nice to meet you, Rose Tyler."

"How do you know my name?" Her brow furrowed suspiciously and she took a half step to the side so that her shoulder brushed against the Doctor's.

"I apologize for startling you. As the Doctor has already briefly mentioned, our transformation vastly increases our speed, strength and senses. Including hearing." He tacked on the last for the benefit of her shocked expression and she gasped as she realized that he, or perhaps they, had overheard the Doctor and her earlier conversation in the woods. Carlisle paused with an apologetic smile as he allowed her to take in the bizarre turn of events. When she was once again looking at him with curiosity rather than fear he continued. "All of our kind experience those changes, but for some rarer and even more extraordinary traits emerge. My son Edward," he gestured toward the bronze haired young man at one end of the line, "is one such individual. He has a gift that you would refer to as telepathy."

"So he can, like, read my mind?" Carlisle was surprised by the curiosity in Rose's voice. His experience was that people, human and vampire alike, tended to respond with either intense excitement or severe suspicion to the news that his 17 year old son could read their thoughts. She, however, appeared to be only interested, taking the news as neither useful to her personally or something to fear, but instead as merely new and odd. A side effect, he assumed, of traveling with the Doctor.

"Not exactly." The young man in question stepped forward, his voice matching the lilting musical quality of Carlisle's. "For most people, yes, that's exactly how it works, but you I can't read. I assume it is for the same reason that I can't read the Doctor." Here he looked to the Time Lord who gave a single nod in response to the unasked question. Looking back at Rose he continued, "The TARDIS protects your mind from my intrusion. But it is a living organism; it has a mind and a highly telepathic nature. It saw fit to announce your presence to me as you made your way here."

"Oh." Rose could only stare at the young man blankly. She'd always known the TARDIS was special, but she'd had no idea that it extended that far. She continued to stare, trying to process all of the new information, and only the Doctor stepping forward and shaking Carlisle's still outstretched hand saved her from continuing as the center of attention.

"It's good to see you again, Carlisle." The Doctor's voice was chipper and warm as though he had not a care in the world; as if he had forgotten about the alien horde that would soon be descending on them. "Your family has grown since I last saw you." He gestured to toward the woman and young girl that had been standing next to Edward. Rose suspected that the brunette woman was at least a few years younger than herself and the young girl couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 years old.

"Yes, of course, my apologies." Carlisle gestured to the entire family, who moved forward to join them, "Doctor, Rose, please let me introduce you to my wife Esme," he gestured to the woman at the far left of the line who inclined her head with a smile, "my son Emmett and daughter Rosalie," the hulking body-builder grinned while the blonde model next to him merely nodded, "my son Jasper and daughter Alice," the young man of average height gave a tight smile that was almost a grimace while the tiny dark-haired girl danced forward to hug them tightly, a move that left the Doctor grinning and Rose frozen in confusion. Carlisle shook his head slightly at Alice's behavior and continued, "And these are the two newest additions to our family: Edward's wife Bella and their daughter Reneesme."

The beautiful brunette drifted forward another step to stand tight against Edward's side and smiled politely before speaking, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard about your last adventure with Carlisle and I have to say that I'm rather intrigued about what you intend to get up to this time." She smiled mischievously.

Rose looked over just in time to catch the Doctor's embarrassed smile. After years of knowing him, Rose knew that the Doctor did not embarrass easily and she was suddenly very interested in hearing about exactly what had happened during his last visit with the Cullens. Her active imagination ground to a halt as the Doctor's next words reminded her of the trouble they were in.

"As much as I would love to rehash old adventures and share new ones," he passed briefly to shoot an intrigued glance at Reneesme, "we really don't have the time."

Carlisle's gaze drifted between Rose and the Doctor for several long moments before he spoke, "You're in trouble."

The Doctor sighed, "Trouble is an understatement and it's not just us."

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Yes I know it's been a long time, but as I say in my profile, I will always eventually come back to my stories even if it takes a while. I'm hoping that my current yen for this story will get more of it written in the relatively short order. But, you know, life happens so no promises.  
**

**Chapter Four**

"So let me just confirm that I'm understanding things correctly," the young woman that Carlisle had introduced as Bella spoke up, breaking the brief silence that had settled over the group following the Doctor's unusually short and succinct description of the situation.

They had moved into the house, settling themselves in a comfortable living room, following introductions in the meadow and Rose wasn't sure whether to be more awed by the family who sat around her or the house itself with its floor to ceiling windows overlooking the forest outside, designer furniture and roomy interior. It was not what Rose would ever have thought of as a vampire's home. She tuned back into the conversation as Bella continued to speak.

"A group of between 30 and 50 alien hunters," she paused briefly at the word 'alien', obviously a little thrown by the concept, which Rose considered odd given the company in which she sat - surely aliens couldn't be a stranger reality than vampires – before continuing, "is on their way here as we speak and should arrive around 45 hours from now. They're highly skilled fighters, difficult to kill, and obsessed with winning." She waited for the Doctor's confirmation nod before speaking again. "They've followed you because of your technology, but if you leave – run away – they are likely to decide to hunt and slaughter the local population instead of give chase. As such, the best option is for us to fight them? Did I miss anything?" She gave a grim little smile as she finished speaking and shifted her daughter slightly in her lap, freeing a hand to entwine with Edward's, who sat beside her.

The Doctor gave her a big grin, obviously pleased that she was taking the news as well as she was, before shaking his head in response. "No, that's about the sum of it really. I mean, certainly the more fighters we can recruit between now and then, the better, but even if that's impossible, it should be a very even fight. While the Cravor are difficult to kill by human, or even Time Lord – he gestured briefly toward himself and Rose saw Bella's eyes widen slightly in surprise – standards, they'll barely present a challenge for your kind. The biggest challenge will be to ensure that none of them get missed and are left to run amok among the humans."

Carlisle nodded as he stood from his spot on one of the rooms many comfortable sofas. Before he could open his mouth to speak Edward had already taken out a cell phone and dialed, speaking to Bella and Alice on either side of him as he did so in a low tone that Rose couldn't hear, but which had each of them also reaching for phones. Carlisle grinned at Rose's confused expression and answered her unasked question, "It's one of the peculiarities of have a son who can read your thoughts, he often starts things before you can ask him to." Edward glanced at her from where he sat speaking into his phone and smiled briefly – at least Rose assumed that he was speaking, his lips were moving, but she could hear no sound. Carlisle continued, "They're calling several other covens to bring together a fighting force. The Denali coven are likely to join us, but I am not sure whether Amun and Kebi or Siobhan, Maggie and Liam will."

He looked questioningly over at Alice as she hung up her phone. Closing her eyes for a few brief moments, her face took on an expression of intense concentration. She opened them moments later with a slight smile and spoke in the impossibly musical tone that seemed a defining feature of all of them. "Tanya and her family will come, as will Siobhan's, but I can't yet see whether Amun's coven will do so. They haven't made the decision yet. Benjamin has set his mind on helping us, whatever Amun decides, but that could change."

The Doctor nodded happily at this pronouncement and it was Esme who took pity on Rose's once again confused expression, "Just as Edward can read thoughts, Alice is similarly gifted. She can see the future as far as it has been decided. It's not an infallible talent, but certainly a useful one." Rose could do nothing but nod at this, the various shocks of the afternoon starting to catch up to her and she wondered what else might be coming.

Her question was quickly answered as each of the vampires turned in the direction of the front door, presumably hearing something that her human ears were not sensitive enough to pick up. Reneesme jumped out of her mother's lap and ran out of the room, followed more sedately by the others. Rose and the Doctor glanced briefly at each other before standing and heading after the family.

They made it to the entry room just in time to see Reneesme, who had obviously been waiting somewhat impatiently to do so, open the front door wide and dart out of the doorway. Rose was just about to ask what was going on when a massive animal dashed up the front stairs and through the front door to the apparent great delight of Reneesme, though the reactions of the rest of the family varied greatly from Bella and Alice's large smile's to Rosalie's disdainful eye roll and Emmett's light chuckle. Rose's own reaction was extreme fear and horror that they would let the gigantic red-brown wolf in the house. The Doctor's reaction was not much different and he stepped in front of her protectively.

Carlisle gave a short laugh at their shocked and worried looks, "It's okay. He's a family friend." He laughed again as the wolf picked Reneesme up in his paws and tossed her in the air, rolling onto his back to catch her. Rose continued to watch in mild horror as he rolled her under him and laid still on top of her. The Doctor also looked a little concerned, but his experience with the Cullens allowed him to give Carlisle's words the benefit of the doubt and he had other questions on his mind now that the immediate problem of the Cravor was being taken care of.

He'd known the Cullens and various other vampires through many of his incarnations and had grown to know a great deal about them, both as a species and as unique cultures. Reneesme was obviously not fully vampire – he could hear her heart beating and while her skin was the same pale white as Edward's it had held a pleasant flush as he played with the large wolf, who still had not let her up – and yet her father and mother both were vampires and Edward, at least, had been for longer than the child appeared to have been alive. As far as he knew and had encountered, vampires could not reproduce.

His musings on the subject were cut short as Reneesme finally managed to crawl out from under the animal, who had been watching Rose and the Doctor with an expression akin to curiosity. She stood next to him giggling for a moment before she spoke.

"Bad Jacob. Bad Wolf."

**TBC**

**Yes, I know, and yes, I had to.**


End file.
